Bitter Sweet
by PK-Magick
Summary: AU - Angst/Drama/Romance - After moving away from the city of Eagleland, Lucas is now back after three years, older and more anxious than ever for his return. Will people remember him? Will his old friends recognise him? Will the person who broke his heart hurt him again? He doesn't know, but he is desperate to have a better life. (Contains characters from Mother 4)
1. Chapter 1

**Warning!** This fanfiction contains (TW): death mention, illness mention, self/harm suicide mention and sexual NSFW mention  
This chapter contains: No TW  
**Read at your own risk**

I'm so glad to finally share this! Initially, I wanted to make this story a comic but could never find time to commit to it, so instead, it's a fanfiction!  
I spent about five years sat on this idea, so I really hope you enjoy it.

* * *

I'm back here again.  
Not really what I wanted or anticipated but it seems this is the way things are now.  
I wonder if anyone remembers me? I hope not… definitely not after what happened after the last time I was living here.

It's been three years since I lived in the city of Eagleland.  
When I was thirteen, me and my dad needed to get away from here, too many traumatic events and tainted memories are within this city, it's almost as if the buildings cold concrete walls are screaming at me… reminding me of it all, begging me not to forget.

I take a deep breath in, and let out a sigh.  
This is what dad and the others wanted, "A good opportunity can never go to waste!" I hear him remind me in my own head.  
Despite what he has been through, my dad is a tough guy, he took a stroll through hell and came out of it with a genuine smile on his face.  
As for me… I don't know if I can say the same.  
I am capable of holding my head high and staying optimistic but all of this… it's too much.  
I feel like me being here isn't right, I'm not welcome.  
Been there, done that - as they say.

Here I stand, in front of Crested Booka high school.  
It's walls are faded, the white paint on the bricks is now a dirty grey but only lightly, it's definitely a worn out place, open for many years.  
I wonder if my old middle school is the same… best not to think of that now, though.  
It's deadly quiet, the rest of students must be in assembly at the moment which I feel reassured in, I don't want to bring attention to myself, especially to anyone I may have once known.

I inhale, exhale, quickly and I push open the main doors to the school building.  
Inside is a vacant hallway full of lockers and various doors to what I assume are classrooms, a few rest rooms and even a few supply closets.  
The floors are a polished light cream, again, faded to a sort-of beige colour, there are also hints of dark red following a lined pattern.  
At the walls there are dark-red lockers, thin and metallic, as your standard lockers come.  
This building is about four stories high, I can't bare to imagine where my own locker would be…

I rummage around in my jacket's pocket and pull out a crumpled but folded piece of paper and open it up.  
It's a letter from the school's principal, she informs me to meet her at 9 AM in her office.  
I take out my phone and click the side to light up the screen, the lock screen photo was of me and my family when we took a trip out of the country for a family vacation about four years ago.  
Me, my twin brother and my parents all cuddled together in our evening summer outfits sat by the beach at sunset, we're all sat at a white-painted, metal table and sat on chairs in the same design - much like the ones you would have in your backyard.  
On the table are drinks and a bowl of peanuts; a glass of red wine for mom, a pint of beer with the brand of drink on the glass for dad and two glasses of carbonated orange juice for me and my twin brother.  
It was a wonderful vacation, we spent days at the pool and on the beach, me and my brother playing and swimming, making up games and even meeting other kids our age who spoke English who we made temporary friends with on the trip.  
After a day of relaxing and playing and eating all kinds of foreign food, we would go back to the hotel, wash up and head out for dinner and drinks, this particular night, we went to a restaurant by the beach and spent the evening looking at the sunset and listening to music from their culture faintly in the distance.  
It was the last enjoyable memory I have of all of us together…

I peek at the time on my phone, it was almost nine.  
I put my phone back in my jacket pocket and start walking to the end of the hallway, I speed-walk so I can quickly get to the office before any students leave the auditorium so as to not draw any attention to myself.  
Gee, this place is big… My school before was fairly small by most high school standards and I had trouble finding my way around there, this place is definitely going to be a challenge.  
After looking at the door's signs and sticking my head down hallways, I eventually found the main office.  
I enter quietly and notice a woman sitting behind a large desk, behind her was another room full of smaller desks, computers and other staff members.  
I look at her and after a moment, she looks up and back at me, she gives me a small smile that was warm and made my jaw un-clench.  
I gently approach her, holding the letter and look down for a second, clearing my throat before I speak.

"Um… excuse me, Hi, I'm Lucas Woods, Principal Magicant told me to meet her in her office this morning, I'm the new transfer student."  
My voice was as awkward and as quiet as ever… Ugh…

Her smile grows bigger and she puts her hands together

"Ah, yes, she informed me of a new student starting today. Her office is just behind you, take a seat, my darling."  
She was cheerful yet gentle, she expressed her enthusiasm in the most patient way.  
She reminded me of someone…

I couldn't help but return her smile, I nodded, ushered a "Thank you" and made my way to the plush chair just beside an oak wooden door with a silver plaque that read: "PRINCIPAL MAGICANT" in bold, embossed letters.  
I sat down and waited, I stared around the office for a few minutes, looking at all the decorations in the room.  
Lots of large green plants, vases of flowers, paintings (presumably by students) on the walls and even framed photos of the school over the years - I even noticed one that dated as far back as 195X.  
The room was nicely put together, it even had that clean, office smell that was so familiar to me.  
I pulled out my phone again and unlocked it, swiping through it and checking various apps, not for any particular reason, I didn't even have any new notifications but it beat sitting there with nothing to do.  
After a minute, I heard my phone ping, it was a text from my best friend, Kumatora:  
**  
Pinky :P:  
good luck on your first day! pleaaaase try and make some friends you anti-social fuck lmao tell me all about it when you get home, love you blondie! **

I gave a short snort of laughter and shook my head, I love that girl…  
She's been with me for so many years, every step of the way, I owe her so much and I'm so grateful I met her, I don't know who I'd be without her and her hard-ass attitude.

"Lucas Woods…?" I heard a powerful yet contended, feminine voice say in front of me.

I look up to see a tall, graceful, beautiful women.  
Her skin was fair and porcelain-like and her hair was a light blonde that was perfectly styled down with gentle waves that reached her lower back.  
To tie it altogether, she had the shiniest, blue eyes and a light pink skirt-suit, white dress shirt with a peter pan collar and glossy, pink heels to match.  
On her blazer was a cream brooch with a faded gold border clearly given to her by someone special but no other jewelry was on her body, aside from a part of earrings in the same style as the brooch.  
She gave me a smile, interlocking her fingers together, even her nails were cleaned-up well, a subtle french manicure that completed her elegant and professional look.

"Yes." I stand up and quickly put my phone in my pocket again, I don't want to get it confiscated on the first day…

She gave a small giggle  
"It's so lovely to meet you finally, I can finally match a voice to a face.  
Don't worry about using your phone, just try not to use it during school hours but you are welcome to use it during lunch or free periods."

"Y-Yes, ma'am" I could feel the nervousness in my voice, I mentally scolded myself, I'm trying to break the habit of being so shy and coddled.

"Well, let's get into my office and get started." She pushed open her door and we made our way inside.

Her office was what you would expect, minimalist but decorated fittingly.  
More painting and framed photos covered the wall, even awards from school inspections with outstanding grades were hung in a line.  
Behind her desk was a large window that showed a view of the school entrance and courtyard where you could see the public road.  
Her desk had her computer, printer, writing mat along with a pen and pencil holder and even a few small framed photos of what I presumed were her and her family yet, no partner seemed to be there.  
Just her and her two young children.

"Let's get started then" She started as she sat down at her large, leather computer chair.

I looked in front of the desk where there was a chair, similar to the one I sat on outside, in the office.

"So, I'm Principle Magicant, you can also call me Miss Magicant or Miss for short. It is a pleasure to welcome you here at Crested Booka high school.  
I am correct in saying you are a Sophomore, Lucas?" Even when she was calm and welcoming she sounded intimidating, I would definitely not want to get on her bad side.

"Yes, Miss, I transferred here from Tazmily High."

She gave a short nod and made a sound as if she was familiar with the place.  
"Ah yes, Tazmily, that's quite the distance from here, I imagine the move was stressful." She chuckled, just making casual conversation.

"A few hours by car, yeah, it's a really small city… well, if you can call it a city." I gave a small giggle

"We sometimes do school competitions with Tazmily, so I'm familiar..  
I assume you may be nervous about coming to somewhere like Eagleland, it's very big and can be pretty daunting, it doesn't help that we're the largest school in the area but it really isn't bad when you get used to it, if you find yourself lost, teachers are lenient with late arrivals so don't get nervous about it at all."

"I actually used to live here a few years ago, I was born in Tazmily but was raised here in Eagleland, we moved when I was thirteen and have decided to come back again" I explained, feeling slight panic raise in my chest.  
Why am I telling her this… this is what I wanted to avoid…

"Oh!" She gave a surprised expression  
"So really, you're clued up on where everything is here! I suppose you're not too nervous then." She gave a friendly chuckle again

"The city, yeah, the school...not so much, at least not Crested Booka." I nod

She nods back and gives a small hum  
"Gotcha, well I'm here to give you a few things to help you out."  
She reached to the side of her desk and pulled open one of her drawers, she brought out a few sheets of paper, a small laminated card and an A5 spiral bound book with plastic covers.

"This is the map to the school, this is your schedule with all the classes you signed up for along with your locker number and combination, for school logins on the computers, I'll get the IT department to set that up for you, and also a slip to let teachers know you are a new student and you are excused from late arrivals for two weeks.  
This card is your student ID, you use this not just for identification but also to scan at lunch so you can put money onto this card, it can also be used for the vending machines - to put money on, we have machines just outside the cafeteria where you can deposit notes and coins, we also use this card for examinations and access to the building.  
Finally, here is your school planner, it contains a blank time table, a diary and all dates for any important events and exams that the school has, use this to remind yourself of any homework or assignments you are given along with any events to clubs or school activities you may join.  
We also have a phone app for the school, this also holds your schedule and gives you a to-do list to remind you of any assignments you may have and even access to your school email address.  
Do you have any questions?" As she spoke and explained, she pointed to each item as she spoke about it.

I gulped, this was definitely not like my old school…  
It's all so high-tech and official, it's intimidating.

"N-No, I think I got all of that…" I murmured as I stared at everything laid out on the desk.

"You sound nervous" She laughed  
"Don't worry at all, I know it can all be overwhelming but you will get the hang of it very quickly, I assure you, you are very smart, Lucas, I've seen your grades."

I blushed and gave a wonky smile.

"That is everything you need to know, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask and if there's any problems, come straight to me.  
Not that I worry that you'll be any cause for concern but we have zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour and bullying and it will be taken seriously." Her voice changed from friendly to serious, it sent a small shiver down my spine.

"Okay… well, I guess I'll go find my locker.  
Thank you, Miss Magicant, have a good day." I said slightly more confidently as I stood out of my chair, grabbing the sheets of paper, planner and ID and giving her a big smile.

"I'll inform your first period teacher that you'll be there late, it was lovely to meet you, Lucas and thank you, I hope you have a good day as well.  
Welcome to Crested Booka high school." She gave me a small wave before I turned around and left her office.

Once I closed her door behind me, I let out a built-up sigh and looked at everything she gave me.  
This would take some getting used to… better make the most of it while I can.  
I thanked the lady behind the desk as I left and made myself out to the hallway.  
Deadly silent again, everyone must have left the auditorium and went to class, I'll make the most of my privacy and me-time while I could before I had to head to my first class and have everyone's eyes on me.

I shuffled through the various papers Principle Magicant gave me and found my locker number.

"Locker 006… Okaaaay~" I spun my head around and looked at the nearest locker to me.

Assuming the lockers correlated to the floor they were on, I had to be near the very entrance of the school which definitely made my life easier, I have a bad habit of sleeping in and waking up a bit too late for the bus.  
I walked back to the entrance and followed along each locker until I found 006.  
I stood in front of it and stared at it for a moment before looking back down at the paper with my number on, I found the combination and began to scroll it in on the knob.

"20...4...6…" I thought out loud as I turned to each number.  
I pulled on the latch and it opened, I gave a sigh of relief, my old locker used to get jammed all of the time and I'd have to do the combination about three times before it would give, luckily, this school seems more up to date and doesn't have that issue.

I was welcomed by a completely bare locker; three selves for all of my supplies, a hook at the back near the top of the locker to hang a jacket or bag and a small holding cup on the door to store any pens or pencils, it even came with some magnets to hang up any notes.  
I knelt down to my backpack and opened it up, grabbing all my supplies and organising them on my shelves accordingly.  
I even brought some stickers and photos to hang up, I'm the kind of the person that likes to decorate a little bit… It makes my personal spaces feel more home-y.  
I have photos of me and my family, my dog, Boney and one of my mom and my brother on their own.  
I gave them a melancholic smile and pinned them on the inside of the door with the magnets provided.

"Better get used to this because before you know it, this will thing will be messy…" I joked to myself, following it with a small laugh.

I placed the planner, ID and locker sheet in my backpack and took a look at my schedule.  
I had English Literature first, followed by social studies and history.  
Not a bad first few periods to have on my first day, I was particularly a fan of English Literature considering I had an A+ average back at my old school.

I took a random notebook from my locker and assigned it as my English Literature notebook, placed it in my backpack and closed my locker.  
Looking at my schedule once again, I located what floor I was one and what room number the classroom was in.  
Second floor, room 15.  
Simple enough, I began to walk to the end of the hall way again and found the stairs leading to the second floor, beside it were stairs leading to a floor below - must be a rec. room of some sort.

I found the classroom quicker than I thought, maybe this school wouldn't be so hard to make my way around after all.  
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the door to the classroom… just staring…

_C'mon, Lucas… make this new impression count…_

I slowly opened the door and looked into the classroom.  
Everyone's heads turned to me.

_Shit._

I walked in and made my way to the teacher, the whole room was silent, I could feel everyone's eyes on me…  
I really, really wanted to leave…

"Hello, young man, what can I do for you?" The teacher's voice was loud and proud, a very confident man, as most english teachers are.  
He was a very good looking man, very youthful, late twenties, early thirties perhaps.  
He had brown hair that had tints of silver in it, a five o'clock shadow and calming brown eyes - I could smell his cologne, it was as if it matched his appearance.

"Hi, I'm Lucas, I'm new" I said, trying not to be too loud

"Ahh yes! I heard you were arriving today, Miss Magicant informed me you might be a bit late, that's fine, did you get everything sorted? Find your way here alright?" He was very friendly, his handsome smile said it all.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." I couldn't help but blush

"Perfect, well, I'm Mr. DeMarco, I'm your English teacher for this year." After he finished his welcome, he bent over at the side of his desk and handed me a book.

"This semester we're studying Romeo and Juliet, pretty simple stuff to get us started off for the year, after looking at your grades, I have no doubt this will be a breeze for you."

I gave an awkward chuckle and another embarrassed smile.  
_Damn, I can't get flustered by a teacher!_

"Thank you, sir…" I said almost in a whisper, I don't like any attention being brought to me, even positive, I get embarrassed way too easily.

"There's an empty seat second row from the back there, Lucas, go and take a seat and you can catch up, we're currently on page seven."

I nodded and turned around.

...and what I saw, I wish I never had…

Right on the second row, with his eyes and mouth wide open was someone I wished I would never see again in a thousand years.

That dark hair and those hollow eyes, that horribly familiar, signature… cap.

Ness Ugarte…

I was frozen, my entire body just shut down, my brain was in siren mode.  
I was in fight or flight and I so desperately wanted to take flight; down the hall, out of the school and all the way out to space.  
I was scared, mortified, embarrassed, disgusted… I don't know which emotion took over more - it was a horrible, equal mix of all of them.

We stared at each other for what felt like hours before I cleared my throat quietly and walked past in another row as to not stand nearer to him than I wanted to, even my seat was too close to him for my own liking.  
My face felt hot, my heart was racing and I could feel myself sweating.  
As I took my seat and got myself prepared for class, all I could think about is how this was going to be the shittiest day of my entire life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning!** This fanfiction contains (TW): death mention, illness mention, self/harm suicide mention and sexual NSFW mention  
This chapter contains: death mention  
**Read at your own risk**

Now we get into the actual juicy stuff with all the main characters, I still need to introduce Kumatora, Duster and Flint but that's not until next chapter.  
I hope you enjoy some angst!

* * *

The minute class ended, I got up, gathered my things and left.

"Hey, Lucas-!"

I stopped and held my breath, my heart began to pound…  
Please don't be who I think it is…

I turned around slowly and saw Mr. DeMarco stood behind his desk still, looking at me with a dorky smile on his face.  
I internally breathed a sigh of relief and approached him.

"Ah good, thought you were going to run away from me there." He chuckled at me

As the rest of the class escaped the classroom, I could still feel _his _on my back, it's like I had a sixth sense.  
I acted as normally as I could, I felt like running away and screaming but I had to stand my ground.  
A new start, I said… I needed this and I was damn well going to make sure it happened.

"How did you find your first class, Lucas? Did you manage to keep up?" Mr. DeMarco asked me, leaning on his desk and occasionally shuffling pieces of paper around to attempt to look casual.  
It was working.

"Oh- Uh, yeah! Everything was great, thank you, sir" I gave a quick nod and pursed my lips, I could feel myself getting antsy

"I'm glad to hear, anytime you need anything, give me a shout, okay?"

I nodded again and gave a small smile

"Of course, thank you." I turned to the door of the classroom and began to walk out, feeling relief as I saw there wasn't anyone in sight aside from a few people in the hallway checking their lockers or walking alongside their friends to their next classes

I left the classroom, hopefully my next class, social studies, wasn't too far away.  
I looked down the hall and through the small crowd of people, I saw him again…

We made eye contact.  
There was no way I was going to get out of this now…  
We both stood there for a minute before I noticed that look in his eyes that was always so familiar to me, I knew he was about to say something to me and at this point I wouldn't be able to get out of it.

"Hey…" His voice was deeper now, however, he still had that croakiness to it that was unique to him, it made my cheeks burn…

I stayed silent for a moment, I didn't even know what to say.  
I had three possible responses to this; ignore him and walk straight past, make a back-handed comment and walk straight past or 'Hi' back and engage in conversation with him.  
Talking to him was the last thing I wanted to do but knowing me, I know I was going to.

"Hi…" I said back but speaking quietly, judging by the look on his face, he knew I wasn't happy to see him

"You look different… It's been a while." A smile started to creep on his face and I wanted to be sick

"So do you." There wasn't much emotion in my voice, I just wanted to leave as quickly as possible and maybe I could avoid him for the rest of the day… or week or even the rest of my life, everything was fine with me.

"Your hair is shorter." He chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.  
The nervousness was coated on him like SPF…

"Uh… yeah, it was um… getting a bit much." My hair has always been quite thick, I still have the same style I've had for all of my life but the back and sides are a bit shorter, it's what is considered trendy now, anyway.

"Mm… I liked how it was before."

I frowned, the resentful feeling was growing stronger in my stomach.  
Why… why is he talking to me? Why is he trying to be friendly? His opinions mean nothing to me…

"Yeah, well… I like it shorter." I snapped, my grip on my books getting tighter as I started to walk past him, I didn't want to look at him anymore…! I was starting to get angry.

"Wait- Lucas."

I didn't listen, I chose to ignore him.  
I was striding down the hallway, people's eyes started to follow me as visible annoyance was on my face.  
I tried to get away as fast as I could and if he began to follow, then I would run.  
I don't want attention drawn to me but if I had to resort to running to get away then I damn well will.  
He sounded like he wanted to tell me something important but I just don't care! Important or not, I want nothing to do with him anymore.  
Not after what happened…

* * *

My social studies class is what you would have expected from it.  
I didn't really pay much attention, when I arrived, I was still particularly frazzled about my encounter with Ness and spent about half of class seething about it and mentally slapping myself.  
I've never felt this embarrassed and anxious in years, the feeling was awful, it was like wearing a hat in the winter and when it got too hot, it would make your head itch but I can't just rip the hat off and feel the relief of the cold air - I had to let this see it's way out on it's own.  
Kumatora is going to flip her shit when she finds out I saw him… She never liked him, at least from all the stories I told about him.

Class dismissed and I took a deep breath, it would be unlikely that I would see him again today, at least I could pray.  
The only class I seem to share with him is english and even then, I don't sit near him so there's at least a positive to that.  
I left the classroom and made my way back to my locker to grab some supplies before my next class started.  
When I was about to turn the corner, I heard two loud female voices sound particularly excited about… something, when I turned the corner, I saw something that I didn't think I would, this time, in a good way.

I looked down and there they were…  
Two beautiful and blonde haired girls, both dressed in pink, they were standing close to each other and holding each other's hands like they were plotting some kind of evil plan.  
We met eyes and I felt mine widen, so did theirs.

Shocked looks turned into small smiles and then into eyes-lit cheering.

"No waaaaaay!~" One of them wailed, she let go of her friend's hand and before I knew it, with a flash of pink, she jumped on me, wrapping her arms around my tightly in a hug.  
She lifted her legs, bent at the knee, holding onto me.

The other hand her hands over her mouth and she was jumping up and down off the ground.

"I can't believe it! Oh my god!" She shrieked, her eyes began to look wet, like she was about to start crying.

"Wow…" Was all I could muster, I held onto the girl clinging onto me, returning the embrace and looked at the other.

"Paula… Ana...I can't believe it"

"I knew it! Paula thought they were rumors but it's true, you're back! I have never been so happy in my entire life!" Ana let go, her hands on my shoulders and gently shaking me

I began to chuckle, Ana was always the super excitable one, she was your typical girly-girl who seemed to be high-energy constantly.  
I can't remember a time where I've seen this girl sad or angry, she's just so positive all of the time.

"It's been so long, what are you doing back here?" Paula asked, approaching me and placing her hands on me, also.

"Uh...we came back, job opportunity and all." I sheepishly explained

"That's amazing!"  
"Oh wow!"  
"It's been three years, we finally have him back!"  
"Our boyfriend has returned!"

I began to laugh and pulled them all into a hug, despite seeing a face from the past that made me feel sick, I saw another two from the past that made me feel happiness like no other…  
When I was here before moving to Tazmily, Ana and Paula were my two best friends.  
They were here for me always, they loved my company, they supported me and everything I did and I did the same for them.  
When I came out to them, they didn't bat an eye, in fact, they celebrated, although everyone else I knew accepted me and were happy, I never saw anyone react the way they did.  
People made comments, saying I was their "gay best friend" and I was just an "accesory" to them but I knew I wasn't, I hadn't felt such genuine love from people like I had them, besides, I hardly think me being pansexual qualifies as being a "gay best friend" but what do people know.  
They were even there for me when… things went down-hill…

"How have you two been? Lonely without me?" I joked, feeling a slap on my arm from Ana

"Yes!" She yelled  
"We have really missed you, we thought we would never see you again" Paula added

"I wanted to plan a visit to Tazmily for so long but you lived so far away and in the middle of nowhere, what the hell, Lucas! Why you gotta live on a farm?" Ana's attitude was always so hilarious, even when she got 'mad' she was funny, I could never take her seriously and that's what I loved about her.

"I'm sorry!" I laughed  
"You guys have got to fill me in on everything that happened here while I was gone… well, with exceptions to some things of course."

They both rolled their eyes and groaned  
"Yeah, don't worry about that…"  
"If we did tell you about...y'know, you'd only get more ticked off"

Paula nodded enthusiastically  
"He's gotten worse…"

I gulped, I figured as much…

"We're all still friends and stuff, like, obviously and he's a great friend but other than that… Ugh!"

"I saw him…" I added quietly

They both shot looks at me, eyes wide again but this time it was worried-shock rather than happy-excitement.

"Did he do anything?" Paula put her hand to her mouth, her tone quiet, she looked scared…

"He just said 'Hi', wanted to start a conversation but I really didn't want to engage so I just left."

"Good!"  
"Yeah, smart move."  
"He's not good news, like, at all!"  
"Stick with us, honey, we'll keep you away from him."

I began to chuckle again, smiling brightly, although they may be more girly teenagers, they're the same as they ever have been.  
Girls always make better friends in my experience, they have this protective nature about them and really show their support - guys don't really do that, they have your back but don't show their enthusiasm as much.  
To be honest though, I know they didn't mean it fully, I believed they were there for me, they always have been but, Ness is their friend as well, they have known him for as long as I have.  
Although they may not agree with what he did, they still care about him and I respect that but I just can't see myself being his friend.

"I have History now and lunch after, what about you two?" I asked, deciding to change the subject

"Ooh ooh! I have history next!" Ana jumped up in the air a few times  
"Aw damn, I have math, but I do have lunch after too so I'll meet you guys outside the cafeteria?"

We both nodded and smiled at her.  
Paula came and hugged me again before leaving to her own class.

"It's so great to have you back, Luke…" She pinched my cheek lightly and went on her way

"Okay, cutie, let's get to history so we can catch up and not pay attention in class at all!" Ana locked arms with me as we began to skip down the hall.

I began to laugh, a genuine laugh that I haven't done with anyone other than my family in years.  
Me, Paula and Ana used to do this all of the time back in middle school, I would be in the middle while the two girls linked arms on either side of me and we would skip down the hall, singing random songs and giggling.  
It brought back so many great memories, we both laughed together and sang one our old songs we would make up:

"We're on our way,  
We're off to dance,  
Skippity-skip, we're in a trance,  
Don't care who sees us, we're having a blast,  
We're on our way and off we go!"

"I knew you wouldn't forget!" She yelped in joy as we finally got to the classroom, yet not letting go of my arm.

"I would never forget! It's one of my favourite songs we made." I added in the same manner she spoke in, my heart feeling full again, I really missed this…

We both got into class, sitting next to each.  
Once again I was sat somewhere near the back, no wonder Ana got away with not paying attention, she has the opportunity to sneak her phone into every class.

"Oh! I also need to tell you something really cool!" She swivelled around on her chair to face me  
"I got a boyfriend!"

I opened my mouth  
"Woah, really? That's awesome, who is it?"  
Not sure why I asked that, I know absolutely nobody here.

"You actually know him, but we'll see him later so I'll let you figure it out for yourself." She chuckled mischievously and started tapping on her phone, presumably texting said-boyfriend right now.

Someone I knew? I can think of a few people but that's a lot of people, I couldn't possibly think of who it might be…

"What about you? Got yourself a boo?" She asked, not looking up from her phone.

"O-Oh.. no, I've been single for a long time.." I chuckled nervously, looking away awkwardly.

"Well this place is massive, you'll find someone in no time, you'll have all kinds of people flocking to you because you're mad cute."

I blushed and bit my lip, how can she say these sorts of things so frankly… must be a girl thing.

"I don't know if I want to date at the moment, kinda wanna get used to how things are here again." Of course I lied, I do want to date but I need to be really careful about it, I'm scared of relationships but I miss the intimacy…

"Oh yeah, of course, independance and all that, I get you." She then giggled and did a little tap dance with her feet  
"God, he's so cute… I'm so excited for you to see him, you'll be super surprised."  
Just who is this guy? It can't be Ness…

We spent the rest of class quietly chatting and Ana, of course, gushing over her mysterious boyfriend every time he sent her a text - I was really glad to see her this happy, clearly he was good for her, it made me want to meet him more, the anticipation was growing.  
Of course, we didn't pay attention at all, all things considered, we could catch up in the next class but all we were focused on was getting lunch.  
The bell rang that dismissed us and we both got up, linking arms once again and leaving the classroom.

"Did the principle explain to you how your ID works?"

"Yeah, she basically dumped a load of info on me this morning… this place is really high tech"

"I guess Tazmily was very different to here, huh?"

"Yeah… pretty old fashioned for modern day high school standards"

We arrived at the main cafeteria doors to see Paula stood there leaning against the wall.

"What's up, babes~" She sang  
"The others will be here in a bit, said their class is letting them out late because of some assignment or whatever."

"I heard about Ana's boyfriend" I laughed which made Paula roll her eyes

"Dear lord, it's all she ever talks about these days, hopefully she didn't bore your ears off about it"  
Ana gave her a small smack on the arm which was received by both of us chuckling.

More students started to pass through into the cafeteria and get on with their lunch period, I took the opportunity to put some money on my ID so I wouldn't be left fumbling to pay for lunch.  
While I had my back turned, I heard some voices gather in the hall, loud ones, approaching Ana and Paula.  
They were all mindlessly chatting, I couldn't pick up on any conversation since there were so many going on at a time.  
When I finally turned around there was a large group of people.

"Woah…" I murmured to myself quietly.  
When I looked, every face I recognised, I could feel my chest grow tight.

"Holy shit!"  
"No way, is that actually him?"  
"Butter boy is back!"  
"I thought you were joshing me!"  
"Lucas, man, is that you?"  
"I never thought I'd see this day!"  
"Our boy Lucas is back!"

I felt my face grow into a huge smile, all my old friends… they were here and they had all grown up like I had.  
Even though some had changed, I could tell who every single one of them were right off the bat.

Jeff, Tony, Poo, Lloyd and Ninten, including Ana and Paula, of course.

"Hey guys…" I muttered sheepishly, suddenly, they all erupted into cheers and began crowding me.  
All of them were asking question after question; asking how I was, how things were in Tazmily, what I've been up to, it was like being a celebrity in an interview.

"Guys, guys, guys! Give him space, jeez…" Ana yelped, pushing everyone away.  
"He has time to answer your questions when we all sit down and eat."

The others laughed awkwardly and each apologised quietly

"By the way, Ness is gonna be here soon, he had a meeting with the coach about the pep-rally game this weekend."

Everyone got a bit quiet, some muttered acknowledgement but that was about it.  
It seems like everyone remembers… I'm not surprised but also, not really what I wanted either.

"W-Well, let's get some food, I'm starving!"  
Everyone agreed and headed inside except for Paula, she pulled me aside.

"Are you gonna be alright?... with Ness and all?" I felt her grip on my wrist get tighter

"H-Hey, don't worry, if he's your friend, I won't cause drama, it won't make me distance myself from you all, I just need to… get used to being around him is all." I put on a fake smile, I really didn't want to be around him but my friends were more important, no matter how uncomfortable I was.

"Okay… well, tell me if you feel uneasy, yeah?"  
Paula was always so sweet, she always put others before herself, especially me.

I nodded and we both headed inside to meet the others.  
Everyone gravitated to a table towards the back of the room, it seems that's the place everyone wants to be, never understood why that was…  
I gathered that this group might be considered quite popular, which is something I am not used to at all.  
Back in middle school, we were just a group of friends, not any real status was given to us but clearly that changes when you get into high school.  
Maybe I wouldn't mind being a popular kid.

When we both sat down, everyone was goofing off and acting like dorks as usual, I came to understand why they chose the table at the back of the room because Jeff hadn't changed.  
He was mad scientist as usual and fixing something or other, which I assume is against school rules - the braniac has no common sense despite being so smart.

"Lucas! You can finally meet my boyfriend!" Ana said with such genuine joy in her voice, although she always sounded happy, this was different somehow.

When I look over, she was resting her chin on Ninten's shoulder.  
I stopped and felt my skin go cold.

She was dating...Ninten?

"O-Oh… would ya' look at that…" I said as sincerely as I could, seeing her smile back was enough for me

But how… Ninten was too badly affected by…  
Actually, it doesn't matter, things are different now and all of us are different people.  
We've changed.  
We're older now.

"A year and 4 months" Ninten added, winking at me, as coolly as he always did.  
"-and 2 weeks!" Ana added, laughing

"They're super lame, you'll get used to it…" Tony leaned over to whisper to me, snorting a little bit

"Heard that, kid." Ninten's voice was suddenly gruff.  
He definitely got more tough looking with age, he has always been the group's goofball but now he had this tough, cool kid aspect to him.  
It was interesting to see.

Tony shrieked jokingly and hid behind Jeff.

Suddenly I heard Ninten shout.  
"Hey, team captain, finally decided to show up!"

I turned around and there he was again.  
Ness.

I sighed and made my way over to Paula where she made some space for me at the table.

"Don't worry…" She whispered

"Sup' guys…" Ness was stood there with his hands deep in his jacket pockets, scanning the table, where of course, he saw me again.  
He squinted his eyes a bit, he looked like he was judging me, the aftermath of giving him the cold shoulder earlier but then… I saw him smirk.  
It didn't sit well with me at all…

"Jeff, what did I tell ya' about making weapons at school, you're gonna get suspended again" His tone had completely changed, it wasn't as stiff anymore, it was cool and relaxed

"It's worth it, I wanna set this off during gym class"  
Tony then groaned  
"His pranks will never stop, he's a 9 year old in a 16 year old's body…" He then leaned over and ruffled his hair  
"Isn't that right, baby?~" He added in a baby-ish, sing-song tone which made me swat him away and yelp.

"I see you're as gay as ever, Tony." I piped up, snorting a little bit after my snarky comment.

A few of them gasped, others burst out in laughter.

"You know it, honey!" He replied in a flamboyant tone, cocking his hip outwards and placing his hands on his waist.

However, Ness was quiet, he even looked annoyed.

"Took forever to get him out of the closet, though." Ness added, folding his arms and flashing me an evil smile that made my heart ache...

"I came out before you did, bitch." Tony responded spitefully, making the rest of us 'ooh'

Ness held his hands up in defeat and chuckled  
"Okay, okay, fair enough, you got me there…"

I held my breath for a moment, my chest felt tight again, I wasn't anxious but I was hurting….  
I remember when he came out, he told me first… I was the first to know.  
He trusted me with that…

Why did I even care, I'm not the one who hurt him.  
Yet these memories, they just won't go away.

I spent the rest of the lunch period in silence, not sulking but rather listening to everyone else.  
Paula asked if I was okay every so often and I'd respond with a 'yes' every time, even though that wasn't entirely true.  
I felt extremely awkward being around Ness, I didn't know how to act or what to say, should I speak directly with me? Why was he being so spiteful all of a sudden?  
Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh with him… but, yet, I have no reason to be nice to him!  
I breathed a sigh of relief when the bell rang and the next lunch period for the other students began.  
We all left to get to our next classes, everyone let me know how happy they were to see me again and that we should all hang out together again for old times sake which of course, I agree to.  
Despite having so many bad memories tied to this city, these people really made it for me and gave me so much more than I could ever ask for.

I was about to walk to my next class, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.  
I turned around to see Ninten with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Hey man, could I talk to you for a moment?"

I blinked a few times in surprise and then nodded  
"Yeah… what's up?"

He looked away for a moment before looking back and giving me a straight, serious look.

"I know it's been a while and I'm sure you've moved on but, I just wanted to apologise for what happened years ago… Ness is my best friend, I just wanted to have his back, y'know?"

I gulped and nodded

"With that being said, I don't agree with what he did at all, none of us did and we were all on your side but we know Ness isn't a bad guy and we talked about it with him.  
Problem is, you had already left Eagleland at that point and we thought we were never gonna see you again and… I'm just so glad you're back, dude." His serious face turned into a smile, his grip on me feel looser.

"Thank you, Ninten… That's actually super cool of you…" The tightness that was once in my chest had now gone, I felt so relieved, although me and Ninten never had a serious falling out, things did get tense between us and it caused friction in the group.

"Maybe you two can figure shit out, be friends maybe, I know that would make everyone happy."

I stopped for a moment and gave him a look.  
He returned it.

"I can try…"

_I don't think I want to try…_

"That would be dope, losing your mom and brother was such a shock to everyone, I sort of can't blame him for acting the way he did..."

I knew he was right but I wanted to punch him so hard for saying that…  
It started a fire in me that had been extinguished for years.  
He seemed so okay with just coming out with something like that, like it didn't affect him heavily either…

"Yeah… thanks, I'll see you around." I moved back so his hand would let go of me

"Yeah, dude, see you later."

I flashed a small smile before turning and leaving but I didn't mean it.  
I didn't mean any of it.  
He meant well, I know that deep in my heart but I just can't help but feel my heart shattering into pieces.  
Maybe everyone else moved on, but I hadn't.


End file.
